Chain waxing question
#101
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LOL - Given that 30 watts isn't much to you, I can understand why you think there are no differences between chains, lubes, or any number of choices many of us make.
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Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
#102
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The real head scratcher is where did I come up with 30 watts? I made an error. The actual reduction is 2.7% or, at 250 watts, about 7 watts. 30 watts ain’t all that much but 7 watts is minuscule. And that is the worst case scenario of no lubricant whatsoever (also no contamination).
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#103
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BB
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Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
#104
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,700
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
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My point stands as well. The 20 year old Johns Hopkins study said that lubricant isn’t important to improving efficiency. The subsequent “studies” have proved their conclusions. The bicycle drivetrain is a highly efficient method of transmitting power. Any improvements are going to be small ones that don’t matter to the vast majority of people.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#105
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Location: Missouri
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Some people are still thrilled to ride 19mm tires at 120 psi+, too,
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Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
#106
Senior Member
Chain waxing for me is less about performance gains and more about keeping a clean drivetrain.
I use a $7 small slow cooker and a $19 ultrasonic cleaner for the initial degreasing and removing old wax. The degreasing part is only for new chains.
I rotate two chains per bike. When I re-wax the chain, I sometime use boiling hot water and a little dish soap in the ultra sonic cleaner to remove old wax build up. The chain comes out spotless and I let it dry for 20 minutes or so, before re-dipping it back in the slow cooker hot wax. I found if I only do a chain wipe down and re-wax, it doesn't come out as clean looking versus the boiling hot water method.
I'm not as hardcore as some immersive waxers, in the long run it's just less maintenance and keeps your bike much more tidy.
I use a $7 small slow cooker and a $19 ultrasonic cleaner for the initial degreasing and removing old wax. The degreasing part is only for new chains.
I rotate two chains per bike. When I re-wax the chain, I sometime use boiling hot water and a little dish soap in the ultra sonic cleaner to remove old wax build up. The chain comes out spotless and I let it dry for 20 minutes or so, before re-dipping it back in the slow cooker hot wax. I found if I only do a chain wipe down and re-wax, it doesn't come out as clean looking versus the boiling hot water method.
I'm not as hardcore as some immersive waxers, in the long run it's just less maintenance and keeps your bike much more tidy.
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#107
Full Member
Chain waxing for me is less about performance gains and more about keeping a clean drivetrain.
I use a $7 small slow cooker and a $19 ultrasonic cleaner for the initial degreasing and removing old wax. The degreasing part is only for new chains.
I rotate two chains per bike. When I re-wax the chain, I sometime use boiling hot water and a little dish soap in the ultra sonic cleaner to remove old wax build up. The chain comes out spotless and I let it dry for 20 minutes or so, before re-dipping it back in the slow cooker hot wax. I found if I only do a chain wipe down and re-wax, it doesn't come out as clean looking versus the boiling hot water method.
I'm not as hardcore as some immersive waxers, in the long run it's just less maintenance and keeps your bike much more tidy.
I use a $7 small slow cooker and a $19 ultrasonic cleaner for the initial degreasing and removing old wax. The degreasing part is only for new chains.
I rotate two chains per bike. When I re-wax the chain, I sometime use boiling hot water and a little dish soap in the ultra sonic cleaner to remove old wax build up. The chain comes out spotless and I let it dry for 20 minutes or so, before re-dipping it back in the slow cooker hot wax. I found if I only do a chain wipe down and re-wax, it doesn't come out as clean looking versus the boiling hot water method.
I'm not as hardcore as some immersive waxers, in the long run it's just less maintenance and keeps your bike much more tidy.
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